Race your best in this triathlon mecca and stunning Western mountain town.

by Andrew Peabody

IRONMAN Boulder takes place completely in beautiful Boulder County, Colorado. The swim is in the Boulder Reservoir, the bike on primarily rural roads among scenic cattle and horse ranches, and the marathon run is almost entirely on the popular Boulder Creek Path—a paved cycling/pedestrian path that follows the winding Boulder Creek.

As of 2018, there will be a new, single-transition area at the Boulder Reservoir for T1 and T2. Past races have used two separate transition areas, with T1 at the reservoir and T2 at Boulder High School near the downtown finish line. With the finish line still in the downtown Boulder location, the race organization has arranged for bikes and gear to be transported immediately from T2 to a secure location at the high school for convenient retrieval after finishing the event. As in past years, there will be NO PARKING at the reservoir on race day. All athletes and their support crew/families will be bussed to the race start from Boulder High School on race morning and shuttles will be running all day between the reservoir and downtown Boulder. At the reservoir there will be a swim beach, food trucks, and a beer garden tent to keep your family and friends entertained through the day as they await your return at the bike finish to commence the run.

The June weather in Boulder can be quite hot and arid, being in the high desert foothills of the Rocky Mountains, so hydration and sodium intake is crucial on race day and in the days leading up to it.

Swimoverview

The water temperature in mid June should be in the high 60's to low 70's (degrees F), but athletes should plan on the possibility of a non-wetsuit swim. Past August editions of the race have been both wetsuit legal and wetsuit optional. With the move to June for 2017, the possibility of temperatures above the 76.1 cutoff exists, but isn't likely. The final decision will not be known until testing early race day morning.

IRONMAN Boulder features a rolling start, as opposed to a mass start or wave start. Athletes will group themselves according to their predicted swim time, with the fastest athletes entering the water first (after the professional fields). The start is a steady flow of athletes into the water, with a timing mat at the water's edge recording each athlete's actual start time. Because of this, the timing clocks around the course and at the finish line will reflect the initial start time of the first person in the water and will be adjusted in calculating final individual results. In the event of a non-wetsuit swim, athletes who choose to wear a wetsuit will start after the non-wetsuit swimmers and will not be eligible for age group awards or Kona slots. Their times will, however be official.

The swim itself is a counter-clockwise single loop with two turns. Boulder Reservoir is a clear freshwater lake that is typically smooth and flat, although some wind driven waves may be encountered out in the open water if conditions are breezy. Athletes will swim north to the far side of the reservoir, turn left, and always keeping the buoys to their left, head west and then turn left again toward the southern shore and exit at a concrete boat ramp. Upon exiting the water athletes will grab their bike gear bags, enter the changing tent, and then to the bike corral where they will retrieve their bikes and head out onto the bike course.

Breaking down the bike course

The bike course this year uses many of the same roads as in previous years, but changes have been made that result in many of these roads being ridden in the opposite direction. The bike course is a challenging one—possibly the most challenging in the five year history of this event. The many short climbs can really take it out of one's legs if they are attacked too aggressively and this will take its toll later on the run. Smart pacing and making use of the gearing available on one's bicycle will yield rewards in the final hours of the day. Not doing so can move the finish time back into the darker hours. The bike segment is a two loop course and, unlike past years, will finish right where it started at the Boulder reservoir. Upon completion of the second loop, riders will drop their bikes at T2 near the change tents, and begin the run from the reservoir this year, with the first few miles on roads before entering the multi use paths that comprise the majority of the run course.

A word to those who will be training on the course in the weeks leading up to race day: 65th St, St Vrain Rd, and Hygiene Rd DO NOT have bike lanes/paved shoulders, so be careful and courteous to the local drivers. Single file in these areas in suggested for those riding in groups.

Upon exiting the bike corral and mounting their bicycles, athletes will head west on Reservoir Rd, do a brief ride around the reservoir parking areas and then head back west, exiting through the Boulder Fire Department Training Center, turning right onto Hwy 119, also known as the Diagonal Hwy. This is where the race organization has established a unique feature of this new course. Hwy 119 is a divided highway and arrangements have been made to divert all vehicle traffic to the northbound lanes, making that side of the highway two way traffic. Meanwhile, the southbound lanes will be bikes only traveling in both directions. There will be turnarounds at the southern end at 55th St and again at Airport Rd on the northern end of the segment. Both of the turnarounds are four lanes across, so they are not tight U turns and should be easily navigated if riders make use of the whole width of the road. There is no need to attempt a tight turn at hese places.

So, riders will head south on the Diagonal Hwy to 55th St, make a U turn, and proceed north approx 6 miles to Airport Rd and make another U turn, heading south again until 63rd St, where riders will make a right turn and almost immediately encounter a short rise. 63rd St will take the riders to Neva Rd and a left turn, heading west. One thing to be aware of is that when heading west (toward the mountains) you are likely going uphill. If you are heading east (toward the plains) you get some downhill relief. Heading west on Neva is fairly flat, some false flats, and then a few steep kickers as we get closer to Hwy 36. At the top of the last rise is a sharp turn onto Hwy 36 and a quick downhill that immediately comes back up again. A few rollers and we come to Nelson Rd and turn right.

Some might remember the dreaded Nelson Rd that we climbed up three times last year. Well, this year we go east and take the Nelson roller coaster ride downhill. WOOHOO! It starts with a gradual downhill grade and then a quick, fast drop. going through an extended S turn we encounter two more fast descents. Be careful on the first of these where the road crosses an irrigation ditch and the guardrail takes away the bike lane/shoulder. Ease to the left for safety's sake and be wary of those around you. Carry your speed up the next slight rise and be ready for a left turn onto 65th St. This will be a short rolling section of road that takes us to St Vrain Rd, where we will turn left and head west again.

This is another road that has been used in past races, but always going east. One of the fastest segments in past years will now come back to dole out some punishment as we head west, back up to Hwy 36. Be patient, use your gearing, and its not really that bad. Just keep moving. Turning right onto Hwy 36 gives some respite with fast downhills and moderate rises for a quick short blast to Hygiene Rd and we're heading east again after a fairly tight right turn. Be careful here because we enter the turn pretty hot, coming down fast. The turn is tight and there will be bike traffic also coming up Hygiene.

Heading east we have some nice fast segments, but also some not very smooth sections of pavement. Watch for pot holes and be especially wary near the edge of the road immediately following a crossing (just watch for the guardrails) over a creek that suffered a lot of flood damage a few years ago. There are some places where the roadway has broken away and hitting one of these could end your day early. As you near the railroad crossing be ready to slow down for a U turn. This is the only tight one on the course and you may have to unclip a pedal to safely navigate this before retracing our route all the way back up to Hwy 36 and again turning right. Hang on tight because we are in for a fast ride from here to the next right turn at Ute Hwy. The last 100m or so before the turn has some expansion joints and rough pavement, so be careful here.

Ute Hwy is a fast, mostly flat section with a slight downhill grade that will take us to 75th St and more flat cruising road. There are a few rollers along the way but nothing serious and the road zigs and zags from 75th to 73rd to 71st. Bike Special Needs will be found on 73rd St, just before the Niwot Rd intersection, home of Boulder's famous Winston the Pig.

Once back on Hwy 119 we repeat the course, but make sure to do the entire out and back in both directions before turning onto 63rd St, because the second loop starts just like the first, with the two U turns on 119. It could be a bit confusing, even with signs and volunteers, because when we turn onto Hwy 119 from 71st St we have to PASS 63rd St and go to 55thSt for the U turn, out to Airport Rd for the other U turn heading south again, and only then we can turn onto 63rd St for the second loop. Watch carefully at the 63rd St area because some people are turning right and others are going straight, depending on where they are on the route.

After going over the entire course again, back on Hwy 119 from 71st St, we will again pass 63rd St and now turn back into the Boulder Reservoir grounds through the Boulder Fire Department Training Center where we exited many hours ago. This will bring us to T2 where we will hand off our bike to a volunteer, grab our Run Gear bag and hit the changing tent to prepare for the marathon.

Run ready?

The IRONMAN Boulder run course is staged on a few paved roads, but mostly on the multi use paths that wind throughout the region. The popular "flux capacitor" three way intersection remains, but the run is no longer three out and back segments done twice. Most notably, the run now commences at the Boulder reservoir and finishes in the same downtown Boulder location at 13th St and Canyon, just off the Pearl Street Mall.

Leaving T2 the run will travel slightly downhill to the park entrance/exit gates and turn left onto 51st St. This segment puts an immediate new challenge into the IRONMAN course. As soon as we turn on to 51st St we are met with a quick uphill, followed by an equally steep downhill. This is not a place to attack, and many will walk this hill. It's far too early to try and gain a minute or two by going real hard here. Also, the downhill can really take it out on one's quads and knees, so caution is advised. At the bottom of the hill the road becomes a mild false flat until the course takes a right turn onto Jay Rd where the false flat continues to 47th St and we turn left and travel another mile to join onto the Goose Creek Path and leave the roads behind. Energy conservation will be key to these first 5 miles of the run, as it is a challenging segment, being mostly a gradual uphill grade, and one should ignore pace and focus on perceived effort and not spiking heart rate too much.

Once on the Goose Creek Path the route winds through some of Boulder's light industrial areas before intersecting with the Boulder Creek Path and heading for town. The multi use path system passes mainly under the roads, so there will be many dips through the underpasses along the way, but the bulk of the elevation gain is behind us by this point. We are also entering the area of the run course that is well populated with spectators to keep up the energy level and move us through the rest of the day. Passing through the party atmosphere of the "flux capacitor" we wind our way west to the turnaround at 6th St and head back in the direction we came from. We will find Run Special Needs just before (or after) the turnaround at approximately Mile 11.

Upon reaching the "flux capacitor" again, we will turn right heading through part of the University of Colorado grounds and then a residential area before the next turnaround at Baseline Rd, where we will retrace our steps about 1.5 miles back to the "flux capacitor" and turn right heading northeast to the next turnaround on the Goose Creek Trail at Mile 20. We will only do these two turnaround segments once each.

The final 10k of the run is again along the Boulder Creek Path and back to downtown Boulder, with enthusiastic spectators lining the path for the entire way. One more turnaround at 6th St and then runners will be diverted off to Arapahoe Rd and onto the final stretch to the carpets and finishing line on 13th St and Canyon, to be greeted with the PA speakers announcing, "YOU ARE AN IRONMAN".

At 5430 feet above sea level, Boulder is not really considered high altitude, but flatlanders will still experience some effects. Dialing back effort on the swim is probably the most beneficial advice , because it is the one event that the athlete has limited breathing opportunity and stopping to rest is not a simple matter. More important than the altitude effect, though, is the extreme dryness of our climate. Hydration is a serious issue on this course because sweat rate isn't noticed as it evaporates so quickly. Athletes should drink fluids steadily throughout the day and supplement with sodium to maintain electrolyte balance. For most athletes a caloric intake of 250-350 cal/hr should be adequate for fueling the long effort required of IRONMAN athletes. Your personal intake could vary, so determining during your long training sessions just what and how much you can tolerate is important. As in any IRONMAN event, the athlete should plan their hydration and nutrition strategy for race day and test it frequently during their training session, especially the long training days. The IRONMAN Boulder course offers athletes from all over the world a chance to experience the challenging terrain and beautiful sights that have turned the area into an endurance athlete's training mecca for so many through the years.

IRONMAN 70.3 Boulder

IRONMAN 70.3 Boulder is completely contained in Boulder County, at the edge of the Rocky Mountain foothills. The course is a fast one, over mainly rural roads throughout the county, including some challenging segments, all surrounded by beautiful Colorado vistas. With Boulder at 5300-plus feet above sea level, the altitude is not a serious issue, but be prepared for hot, very dry conditions.

Swim

The swim is a single-loop clockwise rectangular course with two right turns in the Boulder Reservoir. At the first right turn athletes will be swimming directly into the low morning sun, so I suggest tinted goggles. The water is clear and flat, but with a chance for some wind driven waves in the middle of the reservoir. With June water temps in the high 60s to low 70s, expect a wetsuit legal swim. Exiting the swim at a paved boat ramp, athletes will proceed to the nearby transition corral.

Bike

The bike course takes the athletes onto many of the same roads used in the full distance IRONMAN Boulder. From the transition corral, they will be directed along a private Boulder Fire Dept. road that leads riders onto Diagonal Hwy for a 17-mile double out-and-back section. Seemingly flat, but with some gradual changes in grade, riders should focus on effort rather than trying to hold a certain speed. Wind can also be a factor on this wide open highway. Both turnaround segments make use of pedestrian tunnels under the roadway, the first being quite narrow with a couple tight turns that has been designated as a no pass zone for safety reasons. After the second turnaround, riders should be careful of other athletes just entering the course as they ride past the Fire Training Station heading to Jay Rd.

Once on Jay Rd heading west, expect a long false flat with a slight uphill grade all the way to Hwy 36. A quick sweeping drop, followed by an equally steep short climb on Hwy 36 will flatten out for the short section approaching Neva Rd. Turning east onto Neva Rd from Hwy 36 puts the riders onto the fastest section of the course, although expect two short steep climbs that can possibly make use of the entire rear cassette. Once past these the road smooths out and it's full speed ahead.

The next segment, after turning left onto 63rd St., is a string of steady rollers for about 2.5 miles. Resist the temptation to attack the hills this early into the ride. Use your gearing to spin up the climbs and push the downhills to carry into the next uphill. When you see the small church and cemetery at the top of the last short climb you'll want to spin, not coast, the fast downhill that takes you to Nelson Rd at the bottom. Use this opportunity to flush some of the lactate from your legs because the westbound segment of Nelson Rd is an unrelenting 4-plus mile climb back to Hwy 36. The first section, past the red brick house to the white rail fencing is the toughest, but it isn't over yet by any means. Say hello to the herd of bison and keep those legs spinning.

Once back to Hwy 36 it is still gradually uphill for a half mile and then the roller coaster begins. Three fast downhills, broken up by two short climbs take the riders to Ute Hwy where the road turns again east. This can be another fast segment, running flat and straight to 75th St with only a slight rise before the right turn heading into the small town of Hygeine. Brace yourself for the railroad crossing immediately past the stop sign as you exit town. Turning right onto St. Vrain Rd., the course meanders through horse country for this little jaunt down to 65th St. and back to Nelson Rd, although heading east this time, until returning to 75th St./73rd St./71st St. which will take the athletes back to Diagonal Hwy, heading south to the Fire Dept Training Station and into the park for T2.

Run

The 13.1-mile run is a two-loop course, mainly on gravel roads in and around the Boulder Reservoir grounds. There are two fairly significant gradual climbs near the start of each loop and very little shade anywhere along the course. Be diligent with your hydration strategy and generous with the sunscreen. The aid stations are well equipped and manned by enthusiastic locals who will do what it takes to keep you moving to the finish back near the beach where it all began.

The keys to a successful race at IRONMAN 70.3 Boulder are pacing and hydration. Although the course can be very fast, one must be careful to not expend too much energy on the climbs and to make use of the gears on your bike. The saying, "it's better to have gearing that I don't need than to need gearing I don't have" is very appropriate here. If you are not used to riding hills, it may be a smart idea to invest in a rear cassette with a wider range of gears than standard. The high desert climate will suck all the moisture out of you and, since it evaporates almost instantly, athletes may not realize how much they are sweating. Drink plenty of fluids and maintain sodium intake to keep electrolyte balance intact. Oh, and don't forget to look around and take in the beautiful sights around you.

Andrew Peabody is the founder and head coach of Breakaway Multisport and is an IRONMAN Certified Coach.